Our plans to tackle droughts - Have your say on our drought plan Consultation March to April 2018
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Our plans to tackle droughts Have your say on our drought plan Consultation March to April 2018
Page 2 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Our drought planning journey
1 2 3
Our last drought We developed a new We’ve talked to our customers,
plan was published way to help us plan interested groups and industry
in 2013. for future droughts. regulators to hear their views.
5 4
We are holding an eight-week Our drought plan
public consultation on this plan has been updated
between March and April 2018. for consultation.
June
2018
6 7
We will review the feedback We will publish our updates
from the consultation and and a Statement of Response
update the plan. in June 2018.
2018
9 8
Our final drought We will send the
plan will be published updated plan to
in 2018. Defra for approval.
Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 3
Introduction
Welcome to this consultation
document which sets out the actions
we will take to continue supplying
healthy, reliable drinking water to you
– whatever the weather.
We’re keen to hear your views so you can help
shape our final drought plan and the actions we
need to take. It’s important you have a say in
what those actions are and when they happen
so we can be confident we have the support Thank you for taking the time to read this
of our customers and communities when a document and we look forward to hearing
drought does happen. your feedback.
During the last drought in 2012, we introduced
Temporary Use Bans in Kent and Sussex.
We’ve listened to your feedback from then and
would like to hear your views on our updated
plan. You showed great support by saving
water during that drought, so we want to make
sure we are ready to protect your supplies Ian McAulay
in the future. CEO, Southern Water
Contents
Our drought planning journey 2 Restrictions 24
Introduction 3 Exemptions from restrictions 25
Executive summary 4 xamples of drought orders
E
What is a drought? 5 and drought permits 26
What is a drought plan? 5 Protecting the environment 27
Let’s Talk Water 6 Emergency drought actions 28
Your water supply 7 The drought plan in action 29
Our water supply areas 8 How to find out more 30
Droughts of the past 10 Have your say 31
Different types of drought 10
Planning for droughts of the future 11 We have produced some technical
Frequency of drought actions 12 annexes for this drought plan to
provide detailed information.
When a drought starts 13 These are on our website at
southernwater.co.uk/droughtplan.
Spreading the word 14
Throughout this document we have
Actions we’ll take during a drought 14 placed signposts to show you that you
can find more detailed information
Supplying water and saving water 15 on our website.
Phasing of drought actions 16
Page 4 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Executive summary
This draft drought plan sets out the Actions we’ll take to supply water
actions we propose to take to make
We can help maintain water supplies by
sure we can continue to supply increasing our work to find and fix leaks on our
healthy, reliable drinking water during network and by applying for drought permits
droughts in the South East. and drought orders to continue abstracting
(extracting) water. We balance this need very
Our last drought plan was published in 2013, carefully with protecting the environment.
and this updated plan will come into force
in 2018, following consultation with our
customers, communities and water regulators.
Water restrictions and
how they affect you
In this consultation document we set out the
following. Our plan includes introducing restrictions on
water use for homes and gardens (Temporary
Use Bans), and for public places and
What you have told us so far businesses (drought orders), during a drought.
Exceptions may be allowed for some customers
We have already spoken to hundreds of you
and in special circumstances.
about droughts. You told us we need to balance
the needs of customers, the environment and We made a promise that from 2015 to 2020
the economy, and that introducing restrictions we will not introduce water restrictions unless
is sometimes appropriate, even if not desirable. there have been at least two dry winters in
a row.
How we plan for droughts
We have introduced a new way of planning for
droughts, which means we will need to act to A constant supply
tackle them less often. We plan to introduce
Temporary Use Bans no more than once every of high-quality
10 years on average, restrictions under drought drinking water
orders no more than once every 20 years, and
apply for drought orders and permits to take ur promise
O
more water from the environment no more than • N o restrictions on water use, unless there
once every 20 years (on average). are at least two dry winters in a row.
These may need to be more frequent in
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight until at least
2027, as we develop new water sources
following changes to our licences to abstract
water. See our Water Resources Management
Plan at southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay to
find out more.
How you can have your say
The stages of a drought We would really like to hear your views and you
We have broken down our drought plan into can share these with us in writing or online. Find
the following stages. out how to have your say on page 31.
Impending drought
Drought
Severe drought (phase 1)
Severe drought (phase 2).
Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 5
What is a drought?
We have all heard about droughts
and probably experienced a few,
but what exactly is a drought and
what causes it?
A drought happens when there
has been less rain than usual
for several months and water
supplies are running low.
The Environment Agency says:
“A drought happens when a period of low
rainfall creates a shortage of water for people,
the environment, agriculture, or industry.”
However, not every drought is the same.
They can arrive very quickly or build up over
time, and each drought affects rivers, reservoirs
and underground water in different ways.
One hot dry summer with high demand for
water is very different to a drought which lasts
a few years and places significant pressure on
water resources and the environment.
Weather can also vary across our region, so
not all the areas we supply are affected by
restrictions in the same way.
In the South East we rely on winter rain to top
up our groundwater levels.
What is a drought plan?
A drought plan sets out what we will Many of these restrictions have been agreed
do to keep supplying water in Kent, with other water companies in the UK, to treat
people and businesses fairly during a drought.
Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of
Wight during a drought. The plan also includes actions we could take
(for example, finding and fixing more leaks,
applying for permission to take more water from
It shows: rivers or underground sources or bringing old
•
t he range and timing of actions we could sources of water back into use) to make sure
take to keep providing tap water while we have enough water available. We do this
droughts develop and worsen; and through drought permits and drought orders.
•
t he steps we’ll take to protect the The aim of this document, and our consultation,
environment. is to hear what you think about these actions.
Your views will be incorporated in our final plan,
This includes restrictions we which is due to be published in 2018.
may need to introduce on water
use, for example, Temporary Use
Bans (previously hosepipe bans),
drought permits and drought
orders.
Page 6 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Let’s talk water
We have already had conversations
with many of you, interested
community groups and other ou told us the following.
Y
organisations about droughts and • You understand there will be severe
droughts which cannot be avoided.
how we should tackle them.
•
You think the restrictions are
We have also discussed our plans with the appropriate, even though they
Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic are not desirable.
England and the other water companies in the •
You don’t want us to invest
South East. more to avoid droughts if it
Those conversations, along with feedback will increase bills significantly.
we gathered after the last drought in 2012, •
You think rota cuts, when water is
have helped shape this document. only supplied for certain hours each
day, are only acceptable in extreme
circumstances.
•
You think we should balance the needs
of customers, the environment and the
economy.
“I am sure there is a
technological solution
to drought but I guess
it depends on how
Under our ‘Let’s talk water’ initiative we
much it is going to cost
are asking for your views as part of a wider
project with thousands of our customers and
really, like a pipe from
community groups as we plan for the future.
Scotland to the South.”
We have already:
Kent customer
•
asked 100 of you to keep a ‘water diary’,
using a mobile app to record your daily
thoughts on all things to do with water;
•
held discussion groups with customers;
and
•
held workshops with community groups
and other organisations.
To find out more, read
Annex 8: Engagement and consultation
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplan
Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 7
Your water supply
To maintain reliable water supplies Our main water sources are:
we take account of a number of
70%
factors, such as the weather and the
geography of the landscape, which
influence the groundwater, rivers groundwater
and reservoirs we supply water from. As rain soaks through the ground
it is stored in ‘aquifers’ (porous
As we plan, we need to understand how these rock which holds water). We pump
water sources react differently to drought. this water to the surface where it
Aquifer
is treated and then supplied to
you. Groundwater can be resilient
for two dry winters, but it does need
Where your water comes from time to recover.
All the water we supply relies on rain. Most
of this usually falls between October and
23%
March. We need this rain every year to refill
underground sources, restore river flows and
fill reservoirs. Rain during the rest of the year
usually evaporates, drains out to sea, or is
rivers
used by plants. We take water from rivers to fill
our reservoirs or to be pumped
directly to water treatment works.
We take water from the Eastern
The Yar and Medina on the Isle of
South East Wight, the Test and Itchen in
Hampshire, the Western Rother and Arun in
averages West Sussex, the Eastern Rother and Brede in
730mm
of rain a year.
East Sussex, and the Teise, Medway and Great
Stour in Kent. In droughts, rivers can usually
only support supplies after one dry winter.
7%
Bewl Water
reservoir, Kent
reservoirs
We have four reservoirs.
The largest is Bewl Water on
the Kent/Sussex border,
followed by Weir Wood, Darwell
and Powdermill in Sussex.
What is resilience?
Resilience is a water source’s ability to
cope with, and recover from, lack of rain
to continue providing supplies for people,
now and in the future, without harming
the environment.
Page 8 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Our water supply areas
We supply water to more than Most of the region is officially classed as
one million homes and businesses ‘seriously water-stressed’, which means that
at times the demand for water can be higher
in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and than the amount available. However, each
the Isle of Wight. county also has different water sources and
experiences different weather. It is not unusual
for one area to be in drought while supplies
are normal in a neighbouring area. This is also
because the area we supply is divided into 14
separate ‘water resource zones’.
This map shows where we supply water and the
average amount of water used.
Kingsclere
Wessex
Water Andover Sutton and
Thames East Surrey
Water Water
South East
Winchester
Water
Crawley
Otterbourne
Weir Wood
W E ST
S US S EX
H A MP S H I R E
2018
Southampton Portsmouth
Water
Bournemouth
Water Chichester
Brighton
Portsmouth Worthing
Cowes
Bognor Regis
Ryde
ISLE
OF Western water resource zones
WIGHT
Kingsclere, Hampshire
100% groundwater
Andover, Hampshire
100% groundwater
Isle of Wight
Western area 47% groundwater,
23% river, 30% transfers
Currently, North Hampshire takes
all of its water from groundwater. Rural Hampshire
100% groundwater
South Hampshire takes one-third
from groundwater and two-thirds from Metered water Unmetered Winchester, Hampshire
the River Test and the River Itchen. 100% groundwater
use per person water use per
The Isle of Wight takes its water from per day: person per day: Southampton East, Hampshire
the River Yar, the River Medina and Hampshire Hampshire 52% river,
groundwater, but also relies on water –122 litres – 144 litres 48% groundwater
pumped across from south Hampshire Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Southampton West, Hampshire
for a third of its drinking water. – 119 litres – 177 litres 100% river
Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 9
Western water resource zones Central water resource zones
Central area North Sussex
Kingsclere, Hampshire 35% groundwater, 51% river,
Brighton, Worthing and surrounding areas100% groundwater
take all their water from groundwater, while 8% reservoir, 6% transfers
Andover, Hampshire
north Sussex has a mix of water from rivers, Worthing, Sussex
100% groundwater 98% groundwater,
groundwater, a reservoir and a water supply Metered Unmetered 2% transfers
from Portsmouth Water. Isle of water
Wight use water use
47% groundwater, Brighton, Sussex
per30%
23% river, person
transfers per person 100% groundwater
per day: per day:
Rural Hampshire
127 litres 168 litres
100% groundwater
Winchester, Hampshire
100% groundwater
Isle of Sheppey
Southampton East, Hampshire
52% river,
Chatham 48% groundwater Ramsgate
Southampton West, Hampshire
100% river
Deal
South East
Water Dover
KENT Affinity
Water
Bewl Water
EAST
S US SEX
Key:
Darwell Reservoir
Powdermill Sharing supplies between water companies
Hastings
Moving water in our supply zones
Eastbourne
Eastern area
Western water resource zones Central water resource zones Eastern water resource zones
North Sussex
In Kent,
Kingsclere, Medway East, Medway West
Hampshire 35% groundwater, 51% river,
Medway East, Kent
100% groundwater
and Thanet take most of their water from 8% reservoir, 6% transfers 100% groundwater
groundwater and the rest from the River Worthing, Sussex Medway West, Kent
Andover, Hampshire
Medway, some of which is stored in Bewl 98% groundwater,
100% groundwater 56% river and reservoir
Water reservoir and later released into the2% transfers
Metered Unmetered 44% groundwater
Isle of Wight
River Medway. Hastings in Sussex takes Brighton, water use water use Thanet, Kent
47% groundwater, Sussex 77% groundwater,
most
23% river, 30%of per person
its water from Darwell Reservoir 100% groundwater
transfers per person
2% river, 21% transfers
and Powdermill Reservoir, with the rest from per day: per day:
Hastings, Sussex
Rural Hampshire
groundwater. Water is transferred by pipeline 124 litres 154 litres 5% groundwater, 79% reservoir,
100% groundwater
from Medway to Thanet, and from Medway 16% transfers
to Hastings.
Winchester, Hampshire
100% groundwater
Page 10 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Droughts of the past
In the past, we have planned for The table below shows droughts in the past and
droughts by looking at ones which the actions we took. If these same droughts
happened again today, we would be in a much
have already happened and working stronger position to meet demand for water,
out how we would supply water if the as we have made significant investments to
same conditions happened again. improve our supply network.
Restrictions in past droughts
Year Isle of Wight Hampshire Sussex Kent
1976 • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban
• Hosepipe ban
1989 and 1990 • Hosepipe ban • Extended water
restrictions
• Hosepipe ban
1991 and 1992 • Extended water
restrictions
1995 • Hosepipe ban • Sprinkler ban
• Sprinkler ban
1996 • Hosepipe ban
1997 and 1998 • Sprinkler ban
2005 • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban
2006 • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban • Hosepipe ban
• Temporary Use Ban • Temporary Use Ban
2012 (former hosepipe bans) (former hosepipe bans)
Different types of drought
Just as the areas we supply water to One dry winter Most of our water
are all different, our past experience 1 sources can survive one dry winter, but
of droughts shows us that no two rivers and small reservoirs can struggle.
droughts are the same. One dry summer Long, hot periods
1 in the summer can create a surge in
Despite this, we have been able to identify demand for water.
four types of drought which we can plan for.
These types are usually based Two dry winters Groundwater
on the number of dry winters the 2 and reservoirs come under pressure.
drought lasts for, because winter Restrictions are usually needed at
is the most important time for rain this point.
to fill reservoirs and groundwater
sources, and to restore river flows. Three dry winters We have yet to
3 experience three dry winters, but our
predictions suggest it could happen.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 11
Planning for droughts of the future
Our drought plan sets out the steps Droughts in the future
we will take when we are in a drought
As it is hard to predict the future of water
to make sure we can continue to supplies and weather patterns, in our WRMP
provide essential water supplies. we have introduced a new way of planning for
future droughts.
However, it is in our
As well as considering droughts of the past,
25 to 50-year Water Resources
we looked at the sort of droughts which could
Management Plan (WRMP) that
happen in the future – some of which could
we plan for the frequency of
be much more severe than any we have
droughts where we will need
experienced before.
to take action.
We created 100,000 alternative rain patterns
The WRMP sets out how we intend to maintain
which could lead to different droughts. In a
water resources in the future and the types
similar way to the Met Office naming storms,
of schemes we will develop, such as tackling
we have named these potential droughts of the
leakage, water recycling, desalination or
future. For example, as shown in the diagram
building new reservoirs.
below, drought Chris could last nearly five years
When a drought is more serious than one we and see less rain than ever before in our region.
have planned for in the WRMP, this drought plan
will come into action.
Droughts we’ve experienced
Normal
1920
Dry to 1922
Normal
The depth of the
1972 colours shows the
Rainfall
to 1974
Dry lack of rainfall and the
Normal
length of the colour
1975 shows the length of
Dry to 1977 the drought.
Normal
1990
Dry to 1993
Year/dry winters
Potential droughts of the future (modelled)
Normal
Dry Alberto
Normal
Rainfall
Dry Beryl
Normal
Dry Chris
Normal
Dry Debby
Year/dry wintersPage 12 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Frequency of drought actions
By looking at the sorts of drought we The likely frequency of drought actions for
Sussex and Kent is shown below.
could have in the future we can plan
and build a water supply network However, it’s very likely we’ll need to introduce
which is more resilient and less restrictions more often in Hampshire and
the Isle of Wight, until at least 2027. This
vulnerable to changing weather. is because we need time to develop new
sources to replace supplies which will no
It means we can reduce the frequency of how longer be available because of changes to our
often we are likely to have to introduce drought abstraction licences. As soon as new supplies
actions, following delivery of the schemes are in place, our commitments will return to the
in our Water Resources Management Plan. ones we show for Sussex and Kent.
Likelihood of use
Drought actions Sussex and Kent Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Temporary Use Bans Water restrictions – once in 10 years on Water restrictions – once in every two
average. or three years on average.
Drought order to Wider water restrictions and for businesses Wider water restrictions and for business –
restrict water use – once in 20 years on average. once or twice every 10 years on average.
(non-essential use bans)
Standpipes and rota Emergency drought order for rota cuts Emergency drought order for rota cuts
cuts (supplies limited and standpipes – unlikely to happen in and standpipes – unlikely to happen in our
to a few hours a day). our lifetime (once in 500 years) if drought lifetime (once in every 500 years) if drought
permits and orders are introduced first. permits and orders are introduced first.
Drought permits and Applying for permission to take more water Applying for permission to take more water
orders to increase from rivers and aquifers – once in 20 years from rivers and aquifers – once or twice
supplies on average. every 10 years on average.
Why can’t we plan for all droughts?
2012 started in drought, but following
In theory, we could build a water supply the rain it was recorded as the
network which would mean we would never wettest year in the UK since 1910!
need to introduce restrictions during droughts.
However, if we did this we would have to invest
millions of pounds in water resources which
may only be used for a few months over many
years. Investment on such a large scale would To find out more, read
be expensive to maintain so customer bills Annex 2: Scenario testing and what ifs
would be a lot higher.
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplan
Our customers have told us that while they
would like us to plan for more severe droughts,
they do not want a large increase in their bills.
So, by planning to take drought We also update our Water Resources
actions such as introducing Management Plan (WRMP) every five
restrictions once every 10 years years and are consulting on it between
on average, we can strike a March and May this year. Find out more at
balance between investing in southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay
the supply network, protecting
the environment and keeping customers’ bills
down. The likely frequency of drought actions
is shown in the table above.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 13
When a drought starts
We use ‘triggers’ to identify when a We also use these triggers to determine when
drought is on the way. we reach different stages of a drought, as set
out below.
We continuously monitor the
levels of our reservoirs, rivers, Normal: No drought
groundwater and rain, and how
much water customers are using.
Stage 1: Impending drought
When these reach certain levels, Stage 2: Drought
our drought plan is ‘triggered’.
Stage 3: Severe drought (phase 1)
Stage 4: Severe drought (phase 2)
The triggers are important because they make
We would like to ask you: sure we take our planned actions in good
Q
time to help reduce demand for water and can
Do you think the different maintain vital supplies as a drought worsens.
stages of drought we use
are easy to understand? Examples of the triggers we use and the actions
they prompt at different stages of a drought are
shown on pages 16 to 23.
To find out more, read the following annexes
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplan
Annex 1: Drought monitoring
and trigger levels
Annex 6: Management
and communications
Annex 9: Options appraisal approach
Annex 10: Restrictions:
Frequently asked questionsPage 14 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Spreading the word
If we think that a drought is starting,
we launch media campaigns to raise
awareness and encourage everyone
to use water wisely.
We will launch our ‘Drought Communication
Plan’ and work with other water companies and
the Environment Agency to spread the word
about the lack of rain and risk of drought,
and co-ordinate joint campaigns.
During a drought, our website at
southernwater.co.uk/drought and our social
media channels will provide all the information
you might need. They will show restrictions,
stages of drought, actions we are taking and
the answers to common questions.
We will also work with the media and other
partners, such as local councils, to raise
awareness through newspapers, radio,
television, social media, newsletters and
advertising.
As well as this, we will set up a dedicated We would like to ask you:
Q
Customer Service team to share up-to-date What do you think is
information with customers and answer their the best way for us to
questions. tell customers about a
drought and restrictions?
Actions we’ll take during a drought
When a drought happens, we take a
range of actions to make sure we can
continue to supply tap water to our
customers.
We start to use our water
resources in ‘drought mode’. We’ll do
This means that where possible
we take water from rivers and even more
reservoirs in the winter (when river to reduce
flows are highest). By doing this
we can save water in the underground aquifers leaks during
to use in the summer (when river flows are a drought
lowest).
We also increase our efforts to find and fix leaks
on our network of pipes – to reduce the amount
of water lost above and beyond our already
efficient levels.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 15
Supplying water and saving water
As a drought gets worse, the steps we efforts to save water have helped
take fall into two categories – actions significantly.
to reduce the amount of water used If a drought continues to get
and actions to make the most of the worse, further restrictions may
need to be introduced – a second,
water we have. extended phase of TUBs, and new restrictions
under drought orders. Drought orders are a
The plans for these actions have been second stage of legal restrictions, used in more
developed with other water companies in severe droughts.
the UK and the Environment Agency. Where
possible, we work together to tackle droughts. These restrictions can affect businesses and
public facilities, (for example, gardeners,
window cleaners, swimming pools and sports
Actions to save water pitches). We must apply to the Secretary of
the State for the Environment to introduce
When a drought hits, it’s important to reduce restrictions under drought orders.
how much water is being used so we can still
supply essential water for drinking, cooking and At all stages we take steps to protect
washing. vulnerable customers. The full phases of
drought and the extent of the restrictions is
We do this by introducing water restrictions shown on pages 16 to 23.
– Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) and drought
orders.
Temporary Use Bans were introduced Actions to protect water supplies
in 2010 and replace hosepipe During a drought we also take action to help
and sprinkler bans. They were maintain water supplies, as well as work harder
first used in 2012 during the last to find and fix leaks.
drought in our region.
These actions depend on water being available
Temporary Use Bans are the first and include the following.
stage of restrictions we introduce
during the drought stage. The restrictions •
B alancing our abstraction from rivers,
focus mainly on homes and gardens because reservoirs and underground aquifers
this saves the most amount of water and •
B ringing in water from regions not affected
protects public services, businesses, the by a drought
economy and jobs.
•
B ringing old sources of water back into
TUBs can be introduced quickly – seven days action
after we have placed a public notice in the
London Gazette (which we have to do by law) •
I ncreasing abstraction at some sources
and local newspapers in the areas where the •
D rilling new boreholes
bans will be in place.
In severe droughts we can use emergency
In the past, customers have been very ‘desalination’ plants on the coast to treat
supportive of restrictions in droughts and their seawater, recycle cleaned wastewater or use
tankers to bring in water.
To carry out many of these
“You can put up with having actions we need to apply to the
Environment Agency for drought
dirty windows and not washing permits or drought orders.
your car for a few weeks. That’s The stages of a drought, and the actions taken
at each stage are shown on pages 16 to 23.
not going to hurt you until such
time as the ban is lifted.”
Hampshire customerPage 16 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Phasing of drought actions
On the next few pages we set out:
•
t he stages of drought;
•
examples of triggers we use to determine
the stage of drought;
•
t he actions we will take; and
•
t he restrictions we may apply.
Normal: No drought
No extra action or restrictions needed
Groundwater Winter rainfall Bewl Water
levels reservoir level (July)
A Sussex
aquifer
More
than 85%
of long-term average
More
than
30 More than
59%
metres
fullOur plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 17
Stage 1: Impending drought
Drought planning
We plan for this stage, which can typically occur after:
One dry winter
1 Most of our water sources can
survive one dry winter. Rivers and
small reservoirs can struggle.
One dry summer
L ong, hot periods in the summer
1 can create a surge in demand
for water.
Example trigger levels
Groundwater Winter rainfall Bewl Water
levels reservoir level (July)
A Sussex
85%
aquifer of long-term average
for 3 to 6 months
30
metres
59% full
Actions we will take
• Increase our work to reduce leaks
• Promote saving water and water efficiency
advice and products
• Media campaign to raise awareness
of impending drought
• Work with partner organisations
• Operate our water sources in ‘drought
mode’ – abstract more water from rivers
and reservoirs in the winter to allow
underground aquifers to recover for
use in the summer.
Restrictions
We will not apply any restrictions.
Our leakage teams work
around the clock to find and
fix leaks on our network.Page 18 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Stage 2: Drought
Drought planning
We plan for this stage, which can typically occur after:
Two dry winters
2 Aquifers and reservoirs come
under pressure. Restrictions
are usually needed at this point.
Example trigger levels
Groundwater Winter rainfall Bewl Water
levels reservoir level (July)
A Sussex
70%
aquifer of long-term average
for 6 to 24 months
29
metres
50% full
When a drought is declared we
will take further actions to save
and supply water, including
introducing the first stage of
restrictions – Temporary Use Bans.
Actions we will take
• Bring forward schemes to get extra water
• Put our regional drought strategy in place
• A pply for drought permits to abstract more
water where it is available
•
I ncrease supplies of water we get from
neighbouring water companies
•
Reduce the amount of water we share with
neighbouring water companies
• Continue all previous supply activities
•
Plan for the possibility of a third dry winter.
We would like to ask you:
Do you understand
Q the restrictions we
can introduce under
Temporary Use Bans
and drought orders?Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 19
Water restrictions (Temporary Use Bans)
While a Temporary Use Ban is in force the following actions are restricted:
(The descriptions of the activities are the legal descriptions.)
• Watering a garden using a hosepipe • Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for
(includes parks, gardens open to public, domestic recreational use
lawns, grass verges, areas of grass used for • Filling or maintaining a domestic pond
sport or recreation, allotment gardens, any using a hosepipe
area of allotment used for non-commercial
purposes and any other green space) • Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain
• Cleaning a private motor vehicle • Cleaning walls or windows of domestic
using a hosepipe premises using a hosepipe
• Watering plants on domestic or other • Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
non-commercial premises using a hosepipe • Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces
• Cleaning a private leisure boat using a using a hosepipe.
hosepipe
• Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming
or paddling pool
“It would affect the plants in the garden. They will
only stand so much, that’s why I’ve got water butts.”
Hampshire customerPage 20 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Stage 3: Severe drought (phase 1)
Drought planning
We plan for this stage, which can typically occur after:
Two or three dry winters
2/3 We have yet to experience three
dry winters, but our predictions
suggest it could happen.
Example trigger levels
Groundwater Winter rainfall Bewl Water
levels reservoir level (July)
A Sussex
60%
of long-term
aquifer average for more
than 24 months
28
metres
37% full
As a drought worsens, the range
of water restrictions is made
wider under both a second phase
of Temporary Use Bans and the
first stage of drought orders.
We also start making applications to the
Environment Agency or Government to take
more water from rivers and underground
aquifers, if it is available.
Actions we will take
• Increase the supplies of water we
get from neighbouring water
companies to the maximum available
• Apply for or extend existing drought
permits to abstract more water
• Apply for drought orders to increase
the amount of water we can abstract
from unused sources or more
sensitive locations
• Make sure we are doing everything
we can to reduce leaks.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 21
Water restrictions (Temporary Use Bans and drought orders)
As well as the activities at stage 2, the following activities are also banned.
(The descriptions of the activities are the legal descriptions.)
• Watering outdoor plants on commercial
premises
• Filling or maintaining a non-domestic
swimming pool
• Filling or maintaining a pond
• Operating a mechanical vehicle-washer
• Cleaning any vehicle, boat, aircraft or
railway rolling stock
• Cleaning a window of a non-domestic
building
• Suppressing dust
• Operating cisterns
• Cleaning non-domestic premises.
We would like to ask you:
Do you agree with the phases
in which we would introduce
Q
restrictions as water becomes
more scarce during a drought?
(Our aim is to protect jobs and
the economy by focusing restrictions
on homes and gardens first before
introducing them to businesses).Page 22 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Stage 4: Severe drought (phase 2)
Drought planning
We plan for this stage, which can typically occur after:
Two or three dry winters
2/3 We have yet to experience three
dry winters, but our predictions
suggest it could happen.
Example trigger levels
Groundwater Winter rainfall Bewl Water
levels reservoir level (July)
A Sussex
60%
of long-term
aquifer average for more
than 24 months
28
metres
37% full
As a drought continues to worsen
we can introduce even more
water restrictions, which at this
stage would affect businesses
and communities more.
We would also start planning how to
provide water if the drought continues for
a further winter.
Actions we will take
•
A pply for or extend existing drought
orders to increase the amount of
water we can abstract from unused
sources or more sensitive locations
•
Prepare for emergency desalination
and water re-use schemes in case
of a fourth dry winter.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 23
Water restrictions (Temporary Use Bans and drought orders)
As well as the restrictions at stage 2 and 3, the following are also banned.
(The descriptions of the activities are the legal descriptions.)
• Watering national or international sports • Operating a mechanical vehicle-washer,
events grass surfaces used for sport or including washers that recycle water and,
recreation where watering is undertaken as a consequence, use less than 23 litres of
in relation to particular playing or other mains water per vehicle
surfaces designated by the company for
no more than two hours a week and only • Cleaning any vehicle, boat, aircraft or
between the hours of 1900hrs and 0700hrs railway rolling stock, including where the
purpose of cleaning is the removal of graffiti
• Cleaning a private motor vehicle using a
hosepipe, including businesses specialising • Cleaning non-domestic premises, including
in hand car washing using hosepipes as part where the purpose of cleaning is the
of their process removal of graffiti
• Cleaning walls or windows of domestic • Cleaning a window of a non-domestic
premises using a hosepipe, including small premises, including small businesses using
businesses using water-fed poles to clean water-fed poles to clean non-domestic
domestic walls and windows where the windows
purpose of cleaning is the removal of graffiti
• Cleaning industrial plant.
• Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe,
including small businesses whose sole
operations are the cleaning of paths and
patios where the purpose of cleaning is the
removal of graffiti
• Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces
using a hosepipe, including small
businesses whose sole operations are
the cleaning of hard standings where the “I think at the end
purpose of cleaning is the removal of graffiti
• Watering outdoor plants on commercial
of the day you
premises, including watering of newly-
bought plants and plants watered using
appreciate if that’s
certain water efficient apparatus, such as
drip or micro-irrigation through perforated
the only way that we
hosepipes and sprinker irrigation systems are going to keep
the water supply
going we just have
to put up with it.”
Hampshire customer
We would like to ask you:
Do you think the balance
Q between the actions we
take to supply water and
those we take to reduce
demand for water is right?Page 24 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Restrictions
This is the full list of activities that can be restricted under a Temporary Use Ban
and drought order. (The descriptions of the activities are the legal descriptions.)
•
Watering a ‘garden’ using •
F illing or maintaining an ornamental fountain
a hosepipe
•
F illing or maintaining a domestic pond
•
C leaning a private leisure using a hosepipe
boat using a hosepipe
•
Watering outdoor plants on commercial
•
C leaning paths or patios using premises
a hosepipe
•
F illing or maintaining a non-domestic
•
C leaning walls, or windows, of domestic swimming pool or paddling pool
premises using a hosepipe
• Filling or maintaining a pond
•
C leaning a private motor vehicle using a
hosepipe • Operating a mechanical vehicle-washer
•
C leaning any vehicle, boat, aircraft
X or railway rolling stock
• Cleaning non-domestic premises
•
C leaning a window of a
non-domestic building
•
F illing or maintaining a domestic swimming
or paddling pool • Cleaning industrial plant
•
C leaning other artificial outdoor surfaces
using a hosepipe
•
D rawing water, using a hosepipe, for
domestic recreational use X
•
Watering plants on domestic or other
non-commercial premises using a hosepipe
Definition of ‘garden’
Under the TUB
legislation, the
definition of ‘garden’
has been amended
so that a ‘garden’ now
includes those areas
An area of shown in the illustration.
grass used
for sport or A ‘garden’ does
recreation
not include:
Gardens open
to the public • agricultural land;
Any other
green space
Any area of an
•
land used
allotment used for commercially
An non-commercial (that is, for growing
allotment purposes plants and crops)
A park garden
•
a temporary
garden or flower
A lawn display; or
•
p lants that are
in an outdoor pot
A grass verge or in the ground
but under cover.Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 25
Exemptions from restrictions
Some customers are automatically
exempt from restrictions (that is,
restrictions do not apply to them),
and others can contact us to ask to be
exempted.
Since the last drought in 2012, all the water
companies in the UK have signed up to a
common list of restrictions and exemptions to
make it easier for customers to understand them.
Exemptions from Temporary Use Bans*
(The descriptions of the activities are the legal
descriptions.)
The restrictions under Temporary Use Bans do
not apply to:
•
b lue badge holders
Exemptions from drought
•
customers using an approved drip or trickle
order restrictions
irrigation system fitted with a pressure-
reducing valve and timer system There are no common exemptions from drought
orders, although activities which protect the
•
companies which use hosepipes as part of
health and safety of people can still be carried
their cleaning business (this exemption
out.
is removed later on if drought orders are
introduced). In some cases, and depending on the drought,
we may consider exceptions for businesses
Depending on the severity of the drought, we
whose only work is based on using water (for
will also consider making exemptions for the
example, removing graffiti, growing plants or
following. (The descriptions of the exemptions
producing food). Customers would need to
are the legal descriptions.)
apply in writing and show they are taking steps
•
customers on our Vulnerable Persons List to save water where possible.
with mobility issues
•
watering newly-bought plants for 14 days
•
watering food crops at home or on allotments We would like to ask you:
Which of the exemptions
Q
•
watering newly-laid turf for 28 days
from a drought order do
•
removing graffiti
you think we should apply
•
fi lling paddling pools. in a severe drought?
During a drought our website would say which,
if any, of these exemptions applied.
Activities which are necessary for health and
safety reasons are also exempt from restrictions.
For a full list of restrictions and We would like to ask you:
exemptions under Temporary
Q
Use Bans and drought orders
Do you agree with the
visit southernwater.co.uk/restrictions
exemptions from Temporary
or read Use Bans, which are agreed by
Annex 3: Demand interventions all water companies in the UK?
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplanPage 26 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Examples of drought orders
and drought permits
We can apply to the Environment Below are some examples of drought permits
Agency and Defra for drought and orders we may apply for in a drought.
permits and drought orders to help
us continue to supply water during River Medway, Kent
droughts. When river flows in the Medway
drop below a certain level we
We must apply for this permission to make sure normally have to stop taking
we are protecting the environment, which may water from it. In a drought we can
already be suffering in the dry conditions. ask for this level to be lowered
so we can continue to take water
Measures to protect the environment include to help fill Bewl Water reservoir or supply it
carrying out monitoring, to see what effect straight to customers. We last did this during
taking water has on rivers and other water the 2012 drought.
sources, and putting measures in place to
reduce any effects.
Worthing, Sussex
We take water from an
underground aquifer in Worthing.
We have a licence allowing us to
take 7 Ml/d (million litres of water
Aquifer
per day) between January and
September, and 4.5 Ml/d from
October to December. In droughts we can ask
for a permit to take 7 Ml/d all year round.
Eastern Yar, Isle of Wight
When river flows in the River
Medina at Blackwater and Shide
(Newport weir) drop below a
certain level we normally have to
stop taking water from it. We can
apply for this level to be reduced
Canoeists on the
so we can continue to take water and transfer it
River Medway, Kent
to the River Yar, from where we take supplies at
our water treatment works in Sandown.
We would like to ask you:
Hampshire
Do you support the drought We have included new drought orders for
Q permits and drought orders Hampshire in this draft drought plan to prepare
we have explained to increase for a possible loss of supplies from the River
supplies or are there others Test and River Itchen in the future. Currently,
60% of supplies for the region come from these
we should consider?
two rivers. Find out more in annex 4.
We will only apply for permits and orders when
we need them. Even if we are given permission,
To find out more, read we will only put them into action when
Annex 4: Supply interventions necessary. Sometimes, water resources can
improve while we are applying for permission.
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplanOur plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 27
Protecting the environment
The South East contains many sites For this plan we have carried
which are important for wildlife and out environmental assessments
of our planned actions. These
ecology and are protected by law assessments are published
or regulations. in a Strategic Environmental
Assessment and Habitats
Some of our water sources are in these sites, or Regulations Assessment.
the sites may be affected by our work to supply If we apply for permits or orders during a
water in a drought. So, as we prepare our drought, we would work with the Environment
drought plan we assess the effect our actions Agency to evaluate the effect of our actions
may have on the environment, and how we and agree and put in place monitoring and
would deal with this. ‘mitigation measures’ to reduce any effects.
Water sources for wildlife also need protecting during droughts
We would like to ask you:
To find out more, read
Do you think we have
Q balanced the need to
supply water with the need
to protect the environment
Strategic Environmental Assessment, Habitats
Regulations Assessment and
Annex 5: Environmental Monitoring Plan
during a drought? at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplanPage 28 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
Emergency drought actions
If we experience a drought which When does a drought end?
is more severe than those we have
A long period of rain is needed to end a drought
planned for, we may need to ask and restore water levels in underground
the Government for an emergency aquifers, rivers and reservoirs.
drought order.
This usually means a few months
of rain rather than a few days.
This would allow us to take We will leave restrictions, permits
actions such as limiting water to and orders in place until we are
standpipes or water tankers in sure there is enough water to
the street or ‘rota cuts’, where provide reliable supplies for our
water is only available for a few customers.
hours each day.
At the end of a drought we review all our
We would only apply for an emergency actions and ask our customers for feedback
drought order if we had used all other to make sure we are always learning how to do
options, and we would work with the local fire things better.
authorities to make sure there were supplies
for firefighting.
The possibility of these restrictions is
extremely unlikely (one in every 500 years
on average), and we would take every step to
avoid them.
“Hosepipe bans fair enough, that’s not
really essential generally speaking, but
a lot of this other stuff, I feel like that’s
got to be last-case scenario.”
West Sussex customer
We would like to ask you:
Do you think it is ever okay to
Q introduce emergency restrictions
such as standpipes (water pipes
in streets) or rota cuts (where
water is only available for a few
hours each day)?
To find out more, read
Annex 7: Post-drought actions
at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplanOur plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 29
The drought plan in action
This example shows how the activities Lessons from the 2012 drought
in this plan were put into action in the •
Water UK, the body which represents all
drought of 2012. water companies, is able to co-ordinate
activities for customers and the media.
We saw how a lack of rain led up •
I n 2012, Temporary Use Bans led to a
to the drought and Temporary code of practice for restrictions and
Use Bans being introduced. The exemptions being developed for all UK
restrictions we introduced were water companies.
co-ordinated with other water
companies in the region which •
S ome people criticised the delay
were also in drought. between heavy rain arriving in April and
lifting the restrictions in June. However,
The drought ended abruptly it helped to show the time needed to
when a higher than average recharge water sources.
amount of rain fell in April,
May and June in 2012. It was
challenging for us to explain to
our customers why the bans were
kept in place despite the heavy rain. We would like to ask you:
Q
We had to wait until June until we could
be confident that water sources were at
Do you think there is anything
healthy levels again.
else we should include in
our drought plan?
The 2012 drought April 2012 saw 200% of the long-term average rainfall. Temporary Use Bans
were lifted on 14 June.
Temporary Use Bans were introduced on 5 April.
Anglian Water and
Thames Water, South East Water, Anglian Water, Affinity Water
Thames Water also
and Sutton and East Surrey also introduced restrictions on 5 April.
lifted restrictions on
14 June.
Average rainfall Average rainfall Average rainfall
160
140
120
2010 2011 2012
100
80
60
40
20
0
-20
-40
-60
-80
-100
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Drought status – Kent
Drought status – Sussex
Drought status – Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
We had regular monthly We applied for a drought permit
Normal ssex
meetings with neighbouring for the River Medway Scheme,
Impending drought water companies and the and our application was approved
Environment Agency. on 10 February.
Drought
On 11 December, Bewl Water reservoir
Severe drought was 33% full, one of the lowest levels
on record.Page 30 Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation
How to find out more
This document is a summary of our drought plan.
The full document also includes the following.
• D
rought plan technical summary
• Drought plan technical annexes:
Annex 1 Drought monitoring and trigger levels
Annex 2 Scenario testing and what ifs
Annex 3 Demand interventions
Annex 4 Supply interventions
Annex 5 Environmental monitoring plan
Annex 6 Management and communication
Annex 7 Post-drought actions
Annex 8 Engagement and consultation
Annex 9 Options appraisal approach
Annex 10 Restrictions: FAQs
Annex 11 Habitats Regulations Assessment (and summary)
Annex 12 Strategic Environmental Assessment (and summary)
Annex 13 Water Framework Directive assessment (and summary)
We would like to ask you:
Q Did you find the information You can find out more about these documents
you needed in this drought plan at southernwater.co.uk/droughtplan
summary and what else would
you like to know?Our plans to tackle droughts – consultation Page 31
We have given a lot of thought to You can also write directly to Defra at:
how we will tackle droughts in the Secretary of State (DEFRA)
South East and have learned lessons Drought Plan Consultation (Southern Water)
from droughts we have already Water Resources
Department for Environment,
experienced. Food and Rural Affairs
Area 3D
We have also talked to hundreds of customers Nobel House
and interested groups about the actions we 17 Smith Square
would take to make sure we can continue to London
supply essential water. SW1P 3JR.
This drought plan is based on our experience
and your views, and we’d like to hear if you Responses by email should go to:
think we have got it right. water.resources@defra.gsi.gov.uk
We are running a public consultation on our
drought plan between Monday 5 March and For every questionnaire Defra receives
Monday 30 April 2018. during the consultation period we will donate
Please have your say by filling in the £1 to WaterAid.
questionnaire provided with this document and
sending it to Defra in the envelope provided.
Or you can fill in the questionnaire online at
southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay and we will
send a copy of your responses to Defra.
All submissions will be automatically entered
Thank you for your time and sharing into a prize draw to win an iPad Pro for you or
your organisation.* (Terms and Conditions at
your views. We will give details southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay)
of the feedback we receive in a
Statement of Response later this year.
We would like to ask you:
Q How did you hear about
the consultation for this
drought plan?Get in touch
futureplans@southernwater.co.uk
Track our progress
southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay
Follow us on Twitter
@southernwater
Southern Water
Southern House
Yeoman Road
Worthing
West Sussex
BN13 3NX
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